School-desk.



1. 0. FOSTER.

SCHOOL DESK.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23. m5.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

UNITED TATES PATENT @FFICE.

JOHN O. FOSTER, 0F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

SCHOOL-DESK.

Application filed November 23, 1915.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN O. Fosrnma citizen of United States, andresident of Seattle, King county, lVashington, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in School-Desks, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to school desks, and consists of certainimprovements therein, whereby the top is cut in two so that a major partthereof may be swung upward at an angle and used as a support for booksand other objects employed by the scholar.

The object of my invention is to provide means whereby the student mayconveniently support his books in a plane which is perpendicular to theline of vision, thereby lessening the strain upon the eyes in reading. Afurther object is to provide, along with such construction, a movableand adjustable supporting bar which supports the lower edges of thebooks, and prevents their sliding off the raised top. Other objects ofmy invention may be seen by referring to the description hereof.

The novel features of my invention will be hereafter described. and thenparticularly pointed out in the claims. In the accompanying drawings Ihave shown a desk having my invention incorporated therein, in aconstruction of the type which is now most preferred by me.

Figure 1 is a side view of the desk. the top being shown in raisedposition by full lines, and in lowered position by dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of one end of the desk with a part of thetop broken away to better show the top adjusting and supportingmechanism.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, with the top inlowered position.

Fig. 4 is a section through the pivot axis of the friction producingmechanism.

Fig. 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 1.

In the ordinary desk having a fixed top, books placed upon the top areat such an angle that the eyes must be focused differently for lookingat top and bottom portions of the page. Rapid changing of focus as inlooking over a book, map or other object, produces a certain amount ofstrain upon the eyes, wh ch it is desirable should be eliminated. To dothis I propose to make the top surface of the desk, or at least a majorportion thereof, hinged toward the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 12, 1918.

Serial No. 63,133.

rear edge thereof, that is the edge toward the scholar, so that it maybe swung upward into a plane substantially perpendicular to his line ofvision.

In Fig. 1 is shown the upper pcrtionof a desk of common type ofconstruction. The section 1 of this desk, extending from the rear edgeto a point well toward the front edge, is hinged at 10 to the sides 2 ofthe desk frame. To maintain this in its raised position, I provide amechanism consisting of a bar 3 and a friction producing means actingthereon to maintain it in adjusted position, and which will permitmovement upon the application to the top of a sutlicient amount offorce. While this supporting means might be made positive in itsadjustments. I prefer to employ friction operated means so thatadjustment may be made at any point, and so that the top may be movedinto any position by applying thereto a sutlicient amount of force.

The bar or link 3 as herein shown is pro vided with a slot 30 whichpasses over a pin or bolt 4 mounted in the desk frame. A spacer 40 maybe interposed between the link 3 and the frame 2 whenever this isneeded. Upon the bolt 1 is placed a hand wheel or nut 41 and springwashers 42. By tightening the nut 41, the link 3 may be gripped betweenthe head of the bolt and the spacer 40 to produce whatever resistance isrequired.

The book holding device herein employed.

consists of a bar 5 of sutiicient length to extend from one side of thedesk to the other and at its ends having secured thereto a spring clip50, which extends over the edge of the desk top and has its end bentunder and gripping the under surface of the desk top. This clip may bemade to have sufficient frictional grip to hold the bar 5 in whateverposition it may be placed, and yet permit it being moved freely back andforth upon the desk top. When not. in use it may he slid to the upper orforward side of the desk, as is indicated in Fig. 1, in which positionit is mounted upon the fixed section 12 of the desk top. When it is tobe used as a book support while the hinged section 1 is raised, it isslid downward or toward the rear into the position desired before thetop section 1 is raised.

The bar 5 has an upwardly and forwardly projecting web 51, which isadapted to extend over the lower edge of a book to hold the book open.which may be used for holding pencils or penholders when the desk top isdown. The

spring clip 50 may have slight projections" 53 made by indenting theopposite side perpendicular to theline of vision, thus re ducing the eyestrain. It is also'a matter of great vconvenience and comfort to thescholars. v

\Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to patent is:

1. A. school desk having a top composed of a short fixed section and alongtiltable section, a hinge connecting the long tiltable section tothe front edge of the desk, a slotted link pivoted to the under side ofthe long tiltable section, friction means engaging the slotted link tohold the long section in angular position when tilted on the hinge, abar extending across the top and provided with clips which fit over theedgesof the top sections, said bar being slidable over the It also has agroove 52 aneeting edges of the top sections whereby when the longtiltable section is flush with the short fixed section the bar may heslid over the latter and out of the Way, or may be slid forwardly overthe long tiltable section and used as a book support, and means betweenthe clips and the top sections to hold the bar in adjusted position.

2. A school desk having a top section composed of a short fixed sectionand a long t'iltab'le section, a hingec'onnectin'g the long tiltablesection to the front edge ofthe desk, a slotted link pivoted to theunder side of the long tiltable section, 'a'screw extending through'theslot of the link and the outside of the desk, resilient washers on'th'e"screw outside the desk, a nut engagin'gjth'e screw to hold the parts inadjusted position; where by" to provide friction means for holding thelong tiltable section elevated, a slidable bar having clips at its endsto engage over the edges of the top, said bar being slidable overthe'meeting' ends of the two top sections whent'he t'iltable' section isclosed, whereby said bar may be slid out of the way and free of thetilt-able section when the latter is not in use as a book rest, or mayhe slid forwardly to the outer end of the 'tiltable section to"'p'rovideabook rest when said section is tilted upwardly. V

Signed at Seattle, "Vashingt'on, this 16th day ofNove'mber, 1015., V

' J OHN O. FOSTER.

Bogiiesof this patent imaybe obtainedfor fiv'e cents each.bysfldressing' the"0'ommls'sionerof'ratente, Washington,D.C.

